If Trump thought that his bluff would be sufficient to finally shut up North Korea, and put an end to Kim's provocative behavior, well... bluff called because North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency reported moments ago that not only did N.Korea escalate the tensions up another notch, but explicitly warned that it could carry out a "pre-emptive operation once the US shows signs of provocation", and that it is "seriously considering a strategy to strike Guam with mid-to-long range missiles."

Story highlights from Reuters:

N. KOREA WARNS OF OPERATION ON SIGNS OF U.S. PROVOCATION: KCNA

N. KOREA SAYS U.S. WAR HYSTERIA TO BRING MISERABLE END: KCNA

N. KOREA CAN STRIKE BEFORE ANY U.S. PRE-EMPTIVE ATTACK: KCNA

N.KOREA SAYS IT COULD CARRY OUT PRE-EMPTIVE OPERATION ONCE U.S. SHOWS SIGNS OF PROVOCATION -KCNA CITING MILITARY SPOKESMAN

N.KOREA SAYS STRIKE ON GUAM WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN A CONSECUTIVE, SUCCESSIVE WAY ONCE LEADER KIM JONG UN GIVES ORDER

And the full report:

U.S Should be Prudent under Present Acute Situation: Spokesman For KPA Strategic Force

Pyongyang, August 9 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) released the following statement on August 8:

Recently, the U.S. test-fired ICBM Minuteman-3 at its Vandenberg Air Force Base in Califrnia State targeting the DPRK, the fourth one this year, openly staged an actual nuclear strike drill targeting the strategic objects of the DPRK by mobilizing its nuclear strategic bombers formation stationed at its Anderson Air Force Base on Guam in the Pacific. It is driving the regional situation to an extreme pitch by bringing various kinds of nuclear strategic hardware before the very eyes of the DPRK. The Strategic Force of the KPA has taken special note of such maneuvers.

Such military maneuvers of the U.S. may provoke a dangerous conflict under the present extremely acute situation prevailing on the Korean peninsula.

Typically, the nuclear strategic bombers from Guam frequent the sky above south Korea to openly stage actual war drills and muscle-flexing in a bid to strike the strategic bases of the DPRK. This grave situation requires the KPA to closely watch Guam, the outpost and beachhead for invading the DPRK, and necessarily take practical actions of significance to neutralize it.

In the morning of August 8 the air pirates of Guam again appeared in the sky above south Korea to stage a mad-cap drill simulating an actual war.

Supreme Commander of the revolutionary forces of the DPRK Kim Jong Un, estimating the nature of the military action taken by the U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region, once recommended examination of a powerful and effective action plan for containing the U.S. imperialists' aggression hardware as the U.S. forces are resorting to inappropriate and reckless military actions in the sensitive area, while going on the rampage in the waters off the Korean peninsula and the Pacific waters.